Fire Emblem: High School Years (High School AU) - Sophomore Year

Allowed to be Vulnerable

Chrom

I really hope Anna's ok... I know she confronted her father a couple of days ago and has been a bit out of the loop since then. Gods, I can't even imagine the hell she's going through. Not only the sudden return of her father in her life, but being faced with the fact that she may have to live with him.

Sighing, I entered the kitchen. I need sustenance. Anna hasn't been able to help me with my English work so I have to figure it all out on my own; I've been having absolutely no luck. I have no idea how she does it!

Just then, Father walked in. He was dressed semi-formally and all of my internal checks went off. Father always made a habit to dress nicely, but not as much as he was now. Are my grandparents visiting? Do we have to go somewhere? Is there some recital going on that I forgot all about?

I eyed him warily, mindlessly picking up an orange. "Hey, Dad... Going somewhere?" I asked.

He turned to me, running a hand through his hair. "Oh, I thought you were upstairs..." He almost sounded disappointed. "Well, I'm currently heading out for the Komodori household. Evelina requested me."

My heart lurched. "Really?! What for?! Is something wrong?!" I jumped out of my feet, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on edge.

"It's nothing you need to know. Everything is fine."

"If it concerns Anna, it is 100% something I need to know."

"Chrom -"

"She's my best friend!" The sinking feeling of anxiety pounced on me faster than I anticipated. "I know how Anna gets when she's under heavy stress. ...If something happened to her and I didn't do enough to prevent it...gods, I can't even think about it! Please, just tell me what's wrong!"

Father sighed, tapping his foot. "There's nothing wrong. Evelina simply asked me to speak on her behalf to the social worker assigned to the case. As the parent of one of her friends and the principal of her school, my words will carry a lot of weight."

Social worker?! Oh, gods...is this case more serious than I thought?! I set the orange down, looking up at Father with determination in my eyes. "I'm going with you."

"Chrom, this isn't business for you-"

"I'm not testifying anything! I'm going so I can be with Anna!" I exclaimed. "She hasn't been talking at school and I know it's because of the number of people around! Please, I need to see her!"

Father debated my words for a moment. Then, he pinched his temples, letting out a frustrated noise. "Then we should probably get going. We'll be late if we don't leave now," he sighed.

I nodded. "Of course!"

...

"Remember, you are to not say a word, got it?" Father told me as we walked up to the house. It was strange. I've walked this path dozens of times with my best friend, but now, it felt completely different and new.

"Got it. I'm only there to support Anna. Nothing more," I said.

"Good." With that, he knocked on the door. "I just hope this social worker listens to reason..."

I really hope so, too...

Within seconds, the door opened, revealing a stressed Evelina. "Matthias! Thank you so much for coming over on such short notice." She looked down and spied me. "Oh, Chrom? What are you doing here?"

I swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous. "Um, I-I wanted to see Anna... I just want to know how she's doing."

Father nodded. "He won't disrupt our meeting," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "And trust me, there was no way I could discourage him from coming."